LOL @ ebay.

[mcdj]

This fine fellow, who oddly enough has great feedback, is kindly offering to "pre-order" (umm I call it order) a 64GB 3G iPad for you from Apple. Ok, he says he already has one on pre-order, so there is potential value in that if it was ordered on day 1, but it appears to be sold. Aside from that one, he offers to order another 3 from Apple and ship them worldwide, to the tune of $1200 each…that's $1000 for the iPad and $200 shipping. And he won't be getting it from Apple any faster than you could order it yourself.

Ok, if you're overseas and have no friends here who can order you one from Apple and if you won't be able to buy one in your own country, you might consider buying on ebay, but wouldn't you just buy any one of the dozens that sellers already have in their hands? Most of them are the same price as this guy's, if not less, and they won't take a month to come from Apple, in addition to the time it takes to ship overseas to you, after it comes from Apple.

People have some nerve.

 

[Cutwolf]

If people buy it, what's the problem? More power to him. I may have to try this myself.

 

[mcdj]

If people buy it, what's the problem? More power to him. I may have to try this myself.

If you have an iPad in your physical possession, I have no problem with you asking $5000 for it. Good luck. But if you don't even possess the thing you're "selling", and someone can get the exact same thing from the exact same source for $300 less in the same amount of time, then you're pathetic opportunistic scum in my book for even thinking of trying to profit from it.

 

[makefunnyfaces]

If people buy it, what's the problem? More power to him. I may have to try this myself.

I agree. Someone bought a camera from me that was two years old, & I sold it for the price I paid the year it came out. He left me bad feedback because he googled & found it for much cheaper. He thought it was wrong that I ripped him off. I told him I wouldn't apologize for HIS stupidity!

Was what I did morally corrupt? Maybe. But if people are willing to purchase it, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

 

[sillyrabbitt]

Scammers.... Maybe people are dumb to buy it but it's not right.

I believe things come back to you in this world. the cashier gives you back 20 bucks when your change should have been 5. Your like sweet f... Her I am keeping it. Then on the way home you get a flat!

Just saying

 

[Apple OC]

he is trying to one-up the Chinese scalpers out of NY

 

[Cutwolf]

If you have an iPad in your physical possession, I have no problem with you asking $5000 for it. Good luck. But if you don't even possess the thing you're "selling", and someone can get the exact same thing from the exact same source for $300 less in the same amount of time, then you're pathetic opportunistic scum in my book for even thinking of trying to profit from it.

Why, exactly?

You think any successful retail business became successful by catering only to intelligent and well researched consumers? Reality check -- there aren't enough of those to sustain any operation.

He is doing nothing more than listing it, and making it clear what he is listing. If people want to buy it, that's their choice. No one forced them to do so.

Furthermore, I'd bet a lot of -- if not all of -- his buyers will be from countries that won't see an official iPad 2 launch until the end of this year (like China, for example). In that case, it makes sense to pay $1000 for a preorder instead of paying the $1600 Chinese resellers are currently asking.

 

[mcdj]

I agree. Someone bought a camera from me that was two years old, & I sold it for the price I paid the year it came out. He left me bad feedback because he googled & found it for much cheaper. He thought it was wrong that I ripped him off. I told him I wouldn't apologize for HIS stupidity!

Was what I did morally corrupt? Maybe. But if people are willing to purchase it, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

Totally different scenario. You HAD the product in hand. Maybe you even had the only working one the guy could find at the time.

 

[Cutwolf]

I just really don't see anything immoral about it. You are offering something up and allowing people to voluntarily transact with you for that thing. No one makes you buy it. No one tells you not to do research before buying it.

The beauty of a marketplace is that buyers dictate the price they will pay. If no one was willing to buy a preorder for 1000, no one would be selling a preorder for $1000.

 

[mcdj]

Furthermore, I'd bet a lot of -- if not all of -- his buyers will be from countries that won't see an official iPad 2 launch until the end of this year (like China, for example). In that case, it makes sense to pay $1000 for a preorder instead of paying the $1600 Chinese resellers are currently asking.

Ok ok. You won't see this often on the interweb…but you're right. That makes sense. I over reacted. I still think it's tacky. But he might be making someone's day.

 

[Cutwolf]

Ok ok. You won't see this often on the interweb…but you're right. That makes sense. I over reacted. I still think it's tacky. But he might be making someone's day.

I think you just broke the Internet.

 

[makefunnyfaces]

Totally different scenario. You HAD the product in hand. Maybe you even had the only working one the guy could find at the time.

People are dumb sometimes. There's nothing wrong with profiting from the uninformed consumer. If he advertised EXACTLY what he was doing, and people are willing to purchase from him, who cares? It's not our job to be the morality police.

 

[felt.]

this is a great business model, zero overheard. stop hating and focus on your own path to glory.

 

[Mikevbf]

Are you sure this isn't a joke. It says:

Shipping: $199.99 One-day Shipping | See all details
Delivery:
Estimated by Wed. Apr. 20
Returns:
No Returns Accepted

$199 seems pretty steep for one day shipping that will not get it to you until Apr. 20. Sadly it probably is not a joke given that the seller has 100% positive feedback on almost 1100 sales.

 

[mcdj]

People are dumb sometimes. There's nothing wrong with profiting from the uninformed consumer. If he advertised EXACTLY what he was doing, and people are willing to purchase from him, who cares? It's not our job to be the morality police.

Well since it's been pointed out that these auctions are probably geared towards international bidders, I no longer think it's dumb people he's after.

That said, if a little old lady was about to cross the road based on a green light from a known faulty crosswalk signal, stopping her is no more about morality than silently watching someone make a stupid purchase on ebay. People get very caught up in what their job should or shouldn't be these days…sometimes it's nice to just look out for each other, even if it's not your job. I don't think that's a bad thing.

 

[triplecore1]

I agree. Someone bought a camera from me that was two years old, & I sold it for the price I paid the year it came out. He left me bad feedback because he googled & found it for much cheaper. He thought it was wrong that I ripped him off. I told him I wouldn't apologize for HIS stupidity!

Was what I did morally corrupt? Maybe. But if people are willing to purchase it, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

I don't think people realize that eBay isn't really the one stop bargain store. If you actually calculate the final price and add in shipping it may cost more then just buying it at a retail store. Further I think we have all noticed the inflated shipping charge used so sellers can avoid fees. And also how must buyers won't honor priority shipping and if you don't pay extra to get standard shipping they will kindly send it parcel post even though standard ship might have been a $1 more.

Personally I like amazon a lot better. Add in the free next day shipping with Prime and your golden.

 

[gglockner]

Personally I like amazon a lot better. Add in the free next day shipping with Prime and your golden.

So do I, but there are many things that you can't find on Amazon. Exhibit 1: the iPad.

 

[CAWjr]

I have no issue with what this guy is doing. What I take issue with is the $200 for shipping. That's a BS way to get around eBay fees and intentionally deceive buyers who look at the final auction price as the price they want to pay.

 

[deeddawg]

I have no issue with what this guy is doing. What I take issue with is the $200 for shipping. That's a BS way to get around eBay fees and intentionally deceive buyers who look at the final auction price as the price they want to pay.

FYI, there's an easy mechanism to report such activity if you feel so inclined; click on the "Report Item" link on the right side of the listing page and there's an option for excessive shipping / avoiding fees.

 

[EvilC5]

at a 1000 bucks, I have considered selling my iPad 2. its neat and all, and I enjoy it, but I can wait a few weeks or months for one to replace it.

I mean to pocket 300-500 bucks for the time I stood in line would be worth it to me.

 

[dacapo]

I have no issue with what this guy is doing. What I take issue with is the $200 for shipping. That's a BS way to get around eBay fees and intentionally deceive buyers who look at the final auction price as the price they want to pay.

Recently eBay changed its fee policy to include the shipping cost. Sellers used to do this to get out of paying eBay fees, since eBay did not charge a fee on shipping.

So, a product that sold for $1 + $99 (shipping) would mean the seller only had to pay a fee on that $1. The same product sold for $99 + 1 shipping would be subject to a fee on that $99. That's why sellers sometimes use this tactic.

I'm sure sellers now hate eBay even more for closing this fee loophole, but for buyers it'll be a better experience in terms of shipping costs that are more realistic.

(hmm...But the cost of the extra fees will have to be passed on somehow, so in the end, buyers will have to bear that cost too.)

 

[dacapo]

at a 1000 bucks, I have considered selling my iPad 2. its neat and all, and I enjoy it, but I can wait a few weeks or months for one to replace it.

I mean to pocket 300-500 bucks for the time I stood in line would be worth it to me.

While we're on this topic of eBay, if you do end up reselling, please make sure to account for the fees. I think with PayPal fees and everything, you're looking at between 12-15% of your final sale price or something like that. So, if you sell the iPad2 at $1000, you will have to pay eBay+Paypal around $150.. Seller beware.

 

[deeddawg]

I think with PayPal fees and everything, you're looking at between 12-15% of your final sale price or something like that

Very good point, anyone contemplating being a seller ought to be sure he or she knows what they're doing.

The #'s you quote are too high though. Ebay fee for auctions is 9% with a $50 cap. I've seen people mention that's only for the first $1000, but I didn't see a limit on that cap on ebay's page. (I don't know personally, haven't sold anything for more than $1000) Paypal is 2.9% domestic, 3.9% international. So in your example, an object sold by a US seller to our friends in the Great White North for $1000 would face about $90 in fees not counting listing fees.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-receiving-fees-outside&countries=

 

[dacapo]

Very good point, anyone contemplating being a seller ought to be sure he or she knows what they're doing.

The #'s you quote are too high though. Ebay fee for auctions is 9% with a $50 cap. I've seen people mention that's only for the first $1000, but I didn't see a limit on that cap on ebay's page. (I don't know personally, haven't sold anything for more than $1000) Paypal is 2.9% domestic, 3.9% international. So in your example, an object sold by a US seller to our friends in the Great White North for $1000 would face about $90 in fees not counting listing fees.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-receiving-fees-outside&countries=

Ah, I see, thanks. I wasn't aware of the $50 cap. So, an iPad sold at $1000 would cost the seller more like $80-90 in fees. Still, it's something that eats substantially into a person's profits. If a person is set on maximizing profit, then Craigslist would be the way to go, although that has risks of its own.

 

[OMGitworks]

ouch....

NIB Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G White (16 GB Verizon)
Item condition: New
Ended: Mar 21, 201107:21:10 PDT
Bid history:
9 bids
Winning bid: US $560.00